“Not Afraid to Go” Exhibit

“Not Afraid to Go: Acton’s Part in the Birth and Preservation of Our Nation”

This permanent exhibit at the Memorial Library was dedicated on Patriots Day, April 19, 2008. The exhibit starts with the establishment of colonial militias and covers the Revolution, War of 1812, Baltimore Riot and Civil War. It includes sections on the Acton home front during the Civil War; the founding, flourishing and decline of the local Grand Army of the Republic post; and the gift of Memorial Library to the town in honor of the Civil War veterans and dead. The exhibit showcases numerous artifacts owned by the library and many replicas from the Acton Historical Society’s extensive collection. The exhibit was funded by a Community Preservation Act grant, the Friends of the Acton Libraries, the Acton Memorial Library Foundations Matching Donations Fund, the Acton Rotary Club, the Acton Lions Club and the library’s Lois Parker Fund. “Not Afraid to Go” is available for viewing whenever the library is open.

The library sponsors a companion website that aims to document the Civil War service of all soldiers and sailors with connections to Acton.